Travel packages including separately purchased travel items

ABSTRACT

A user of a personal computing device may identify multiple travel items of interest displayed for purchase by a network-based travel service. However, the user may not desire to purchase the travel items in a single purchase. Upon making a travel purchase that includes a first travel item that does not include a second travel item corresponding to the first travel item, the user may employ the network travel package service to search for second travel items corresponding to the first travel item, select from discounted travel packages including the first travel item and second travel items returned from the search, and purchase a discounted travel package. Beneficially, multiple travel items may be purchased separately while obtaining a package discount as compared to the stand-alone price of the travel items.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/073,252, entitled “TRAVEL PACKAGES INCLUDING SEPARATELY PURCHASEDTRAVEL ITEMS,” and filed Nov. 6, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/957,334, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,600,805,entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING TRAVEL PACKAGES INCLUDINGSEPARATELY PURCHASED TRAVEL ITEMS,” and filed Nov. 30, 2010, theentireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Computing devices and computing networks are frequently employed byusers to make purchases. For example, a user may purchase an item from anetwork-based retailer using his or her personal computing device. Inparticular, the practice of purchasing travel items has been madesignificantly easier with the advent of network-based travel services.By employing network-based travel services, users may search for travelitems, compare travel items offered for sale by multiple providers, andpurchase travel items via his or her own computer. Beneficially, usersmay shop for travel items at their own pace and convenience, withoutpressure and in the comfort of their home or office.

Network-based travel services may also afford users the opportunity topurchase travel packages that include multiple travel items at adiscount. For example, when considering the booking of a hotelreservation, an auto rental may also be offered at a discount. In thismanner, the user may purchase a travel package including the hotelreservation and auto rental at a discount over the price of booking thehotel and auto individually.

Unfortunately, travel package discounts are typically offered only whenpurchasing travel items together at the same time. For a variety ofreasons, though, some users may not choose to purchase multiple travelitems together. In one instance, a user may wish to purchase a firsttravel item and wait to consult with a travel companion beforepurchasing additional travel items. In another instance, a user may notwish to spend the amount required to purchase multiple travel items in asingle purchase. Thus, some users may be denied the discounts providedwith travel packages when purchasing travel items separately.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The forgoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages will becomemore readily appreciated as the same become better understood byreference to the following detailed description, when taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an illustrative network travelpackage service for enabling the purchase of deferred travel packages bya user employing a user computing device;

FIG. 2A is a block diagram of the operating environment of FIG. 1 ,illustrating the network travel package service returning travel itemoptions (e.g., flights, lodging, etc.) for initial purchase in responseto a search query received from the user computing device;

FIG. 2B is a block diagram of the operating environment of FIG. 1 ,illustrating the network travel package service detecting the purchaseof an initial travel item without the purchase of a corresponding travelitem (e.g., a flight without corresponding lodging) and returning one ormore options for a deferred travel package that include the initialtravel item purchase and one or more corresponding travel items;

FIG. 3 is an illustrative user interface for display on the usercomputing device that includes confirmation of purchase of an initialtravel item;

FIG. 4A is an illustrative user interface for display on the usercomputing device that notifies the user of the possibility of adding oneor more corresponding travel items to the initial travel item purchase;

FIG. 4B is an illustrative user interface for display on the usercomputing device that prompts the user to submit a search query for oneor more corresponding travel items that may be included with the initialtravel item purchase in a deferred travel package;

FIG. 5A is a block diagram of the operating environment of FIG. 1 ,illustrating the network travel package service providing a message tothe user computing device that notifies the user of the possibility ofadding one or more corresponding travel items to an initial travel itempurchase in a deferred travel package;

FIG. 5B is a block diagram of the operating environment of FIG. 1 ,illustrating the network travel package service generating a userinterface for display on the user computing device that includesdeferred travel package options;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the operating environment of FIG. 1 ,illustrating the network travel package services returning deferredtravel package options to the user computing device in response tosubmission of a search query for travel items corresponding to theinitial travel item purchase; and

FIG. 7 is an illustrative user interface for display on the usercomputing device that presents the deferred travel package options forreview by the traveler.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems and methods forthe purchase of multiple travel items (e.g., a travel package) at adiscount as compared to the stand-alone price of the travel items, wherethe multiple travel items are purchased separately at different times.The travel items may include any transportation goods or services (e.g.,flights, lodging, automobiles, buses, trains, etc.) or other goods orservices related to activities (concerts, sporting events, amusementparks, travel insurance, etc.). In particular, a discounted travelpackage may combine a first travel item, which is initially purchasedwithout another corresponding travel item (and without a travel packagediscount), and one or more second, corresponding travel items that areselected after purchase of the first travel item, e.g., later in thesame shopping session or during a different shopping session, asdescribed in greater detail below. A package discount may be applied tothe combined first travel item and the one or more second travel items,even though the one or more second travel items are purchased after thefirst travel item is purchased. Travel packages purchased in thisfashion may be referred to herein as deferred travel packages.

Corresponding travel items may include first travel items and secondtravel items that possess a selected relationship with respect to oneanother. In one embodiment, the first and second travel items maypossess a selected temporal relationship, where the travel items possessdates of use that start and/or finish within a selected time period withrespect to one another. For example, if the first travel item is around-trip flight and the second travel item is lodging, a lodging staycorresponding to the round-trip flight may be required to occur betweenthe departing and returning flights. In another embodiment, the firstand second travel items may possess a selected positional relationship,where the travel items are initially and/or finally used within aselected distance of one another. Continuing the flight and lodgingexample above, a lodging stay corresponding to the round-trip flight maybe required to occur within a selected distance (e.g., radius) of thedeparture and/or arrival airports.

As described herein, the first, or initial, travel item purchaseincluded in a generated deferred travel package may include one or moretravel items that are purchased without further corresponding travelitems. For example, the initial travel item purchase may include aflight which is purchased without corresponding lodging. In anotherembodiment, the initial travel item purchase may include multiple travelitems. For example, the initial travel item purchase may include aflight which is purchased with corresponding lodging but without acorresponding auto rental.

In this regard, a network travel package service is described forgenerating deferred travel packages for purchase by a traveler. Thenetwork travel package service may be implemented as a component of, ora provider to, a network-based travel service, such as a travel website,that sells travel-related goods, services, activities, etc., or may be astand-alone service that generates deferred travel packages. Forexample, a traveler, employing a user computing device, may purchase adeferred travel package that includes the initial travel item purchasedirectly from the stand-alone network travel package service.

Upon identifying an initial travel item purchase made by or for thetraveler, the travel package service may provide the traveler with theoption to purchase one or more additional travel items. These additionaltravel items may correspond to the initial travel item and may beprovided for purchase at a discounted price as part of a deferred travelpackage that includes the initial travel item purchase. Theseadditionally purchased travel items may be further referred to herein asadditional packaged travel items. It may be understood that the initialtravel item purchase may be purchased via the travel package service,purchased from an affiliated service, purchased offline (e.g., from atravel agent or other offline service), or may be purchased from a thirdparty service.

In one embodiment, initial travel purchases may be identified byanalyzing travel purchase records for a traveler. The network travelpackage service may provide the traveler with the option to purchaseadditional packaged travel items as part of a deferred travel package inan electronic message or other communication that is transmitted to thetraveler. Such messages and communications may include, but are notlimited to, electronic mail (e-mail) messages, a short message service(SMS) messages, instant messages (IM), hypertext markup documents(HTML), and other messaging technologies known to those of skill in theart. In one aspect, the message may indicate that the traveler mayachieve savings when purchasing additional packaged travel items inaddition to their initial travel item purchase, as compared to the priceof the respective travel items when purchased separately (e.g., asstand-alone items). In another aspect, the message may include a link(e.g., a hypertext link) that enables a network navigation componentexecuting on the traveler's user computing device to navigate to aportion of the network travel package service for purchase of a deferredtravel package.

For example, the network travel package service may identify that thetraveler has made an initial travel item purchase and subsequentlytransmit an e-mail message to the traveler offering the option topurchase one or more additional packaged travel items. As discussed ingreater detail below, should the traveler select the link, the travelermay be directed to a search user interface of the network travel packageservice, where a search for additional packaged travel items may beperformed.

In another embodiment, a traveler may transmit a request to the networktravel package service to add one or more additional travel items to anexisting initial travel purchase. For example, the network travelpackage service may offer the traveler the option to purchase lodgingcorresponding to an initial flight purchase at a discounted, packageprice, e.g., a price discounted with respect to that which would havebeen offered if the lodging and flight were purchased simultaneously asa travel package.

In another embodiment, the network travel package service may providethe traveler with the option to purchase additional packaged travelitems from a user interface of the network travel package service. Forexample, a traveler navigating to or within the network travel packageservice may be identified, along with any initial travel item purchasesmade by the traveler. The network travel package service may furtherprovide a user interface which presents the traveler with the option topurchase additional packaged travel items. The traveler may select aninitial travel item for inclusion in a deferred travel package from theuser interface, as well perform a search for additional packaged travelitems. In one embodiment, a search user interface provided by thenetwork travel package service may enable the traveler to submit one ormore search parameters for identification of additional packaged travelitems. For example, assuming that an initial flight purchase isidentified, the traveler may respond to an invitation to purchaselodging and submit one or more search parameters related to a lodgingstay. Such parameters may include, but are not limited to, check-indate, check-out date, type of bed, quality of lodging establishment(e.g., minimum star rating, minimum customer ratings), quality of room(single room, suite, etc.), name of property, distance to selectedlocation, price range, and the like.

In certain embodiments, the network travel package service may alsorestrict the ability to search for the additional packaged travel items.For example, the network travel package service may limit searches totravelers who have purchased initial travel items. Such searchlimitations may inhibit travelers who have not purchased initial travelitems from searching for and purchasing travel items at a discounted,package price.

Results returned from the search for additional packaged travel itemsmay be transmitted to the network travel package service for thegeneration of deferred travel packages. In one embodiment, deferredtravel packages may be generated by determining valid combinations ofinitially purchased travel items and subsequently selected, additionaltravel package items that are eligible to receive travel packagediscounts, and further pricing these valid combinations. Upon completingthe generation of one or more deferred travel packages, the networktravel package service may provide information regarding the deferredtravel packages, including pricing information, to the user computingdevice to allow the traveler to review and select a deferred travelpackage for purchase.

In one embodiment, the deferred travel packages including validcombinations of initially purchased travel items and additional packagedtravel items may be generated according to one or more rules. The rulesmay be prepared prior to the generation of the deferred travel packagesand may be retrieved from a storage device. The rules may include one ormore requirements placed upon the use of the respective travel items bythe travel item provider (e.g., an airline in the case of a flight, alodging operator in the case of lodging, etc.).

In one aspect, the rules may specify which combinations of initiallypurchased travel items may be combined with additional packaged travelitems to form a valid deferred travel package eligible for savings. Incertain embodiments, such rules are specified by the network travelpackage service. The rules may specify a selected distance separatinguse of the initial travel item purchase and the additional travel itemin order to qualify the respective items as corresponding. For example,assuming an initially purchased flight and prospective additionallodging purchase, the network travel package service may specify thedistance that the additionally purchased lodging may be from adestination airport of the flight in order to qualify as correspondingto the initially purchased flight. In another aspect, the rules mayspecify the time of use of the initial travel item purchase and theadditional packaged travel item in order to qualify the respective itemsas corresponding. For example, continuing the example above, the rulesmay specify whether the lodging stay may be outside a trip durationaccording to the flight departure and return and, if so, for how long.

In other embodiments, rules may be determined by providers of the travelitems. For example, a travel service provider may limit the total numberof travel items which may be sold at a package discount by the networktravel package service. For example, a selected lodging provider maymake twenty-five rooms available for purchase at a discounted, deferredpackage price with an initial travel item purchase, such as a flight.After the network travel package service has sold the allocated twentyfive rooms, rooms provided by the selected lodging provider may nolonger be eligible for inclusion in any deferred travel package.

In another aspect, the rules may specify the pricing of valid deferredtravel packages. For example, the pricing rules may specify a deferredtravel package price including a base price and a travel packagediscount. The base price may be the price of the respective travel itemsof the deferred travel package priced as stand-alone items. The deferredtravel package discount may be based upon the stand-alone rate for theadditional packaged travel item and a package rate for the additionalpackaged travel item. The offered cost of the travel package may be lessthan or equal to the base price. The rules may further specifymodifications to the travel package discount, such as modificationsbased upon the time (e.g., decreasing the deferred travel packagediscount as the time remaining until first use of the initiallypurchased travel item decreases).

In alternative embodiments, the price of respective deferred travelpackages may instead be obtained from cached results stored for deferredtravel packages searches. The cached deferred travel packages may bedeferred travel packages previously generated in response to travelerrequests or may be generated based upon popular combinations of travelitems (e.g., destinations, times, etc.). The network travel packageservice may compare traveler requests with the cached deferred travelpackages and, if a match is, found employ a matching cached deferredtravel package to price the traveler's request.

In some embodiments, the network travel package service may enablepurchase of a deferred travel package within the same session or acrossmultiple sessions. While discussed in greater detail below, a sessionmay include a navigation session, by an instance of a network navigationcomponent (e.g., a web browser), executed by the user computing deviceof the traveler, to the network travel package service for purchase oftravel items. Navigation away from the network travel package servicemay constitute the end of the session.

In one embodiment, the network travel package service may enable thepurchase of additional packaged travel items after the initial travelitem purchase and prior to navigation away from the network travelpackage service by the user computing device. Accordingly, the networktravel package service may provide the option to purchase a discountedtravel package within a single session. For example, a notification thatdeferred travel package options (e.g., options to purchase lodgingcorresponding to an initial flight purchase) may be included in amessage confirming purchase of a travel item that allows navigation to asearch user interface of the network travel package service, from whichadditional travel items may be searched and purchased, provided thepurchased travel item is an initial travel item. Alternatively, thenetwork travel package service may provide the search user interface tothe traveler directly after purchase of the initial travel itempurchase.

Similarly, by enabling the purchase of additional packaged travel itemsafter the purchase of the initial travel item, and after navigation awayfrom the travel package service by the user computing device, thenetwork travel package service may enable purchase of a discountedtravel package across multiple sessions. For example, the network travelpackage service may provide messages (e.g., e-mail messages) to thetraveler, after the traveler has navigated away from the network travelpackage service, that include a notification that deferred travelpackage options are available to the traveler. In another example,travelers may return to the network travel package service and searchfor additional packaged travel items to combine with a previous initialtravel item purchase in a deferred travel package after completing theinitial travel item purchase and navigating away from the network travelpackage service.

With reference to FIG. 1 , an illustrative operating environment 100 isshown, including a network travel package service 102 for generatingdeferred travel packages. Additional travel items may be purchased bythe traveler via a user computing device 106 in communication with thenetwork travel package service 102. In one embodiment, the networktravel package service 102 is a travel website that sells travel items,travel services, activities, and the like.

The user computing device 106 may include any communication devicecapable of communicating with the network travel package service 102,such as a personal computer (PC), a kiosk, a thin client, a homecomputer, and a dedicated or embedded machine. Further examples mayinclude without limitation laptop or tablet computers, personalcomputers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), hybrid PDAs/mobilephones, mobile phones, electronic book readers, set-top boxes, and thelike.

In one embodiment, the user computing device 106 may communicate withthe network travel package service 102 via a communication network 110,such as the Internet or a communication link. Those skilled in the artwill appreciate that the network 110 may be any wired network, wirelessnetwork or combination thereof. In addition, the network 110 may be apersonal area network, local area network, wide area network, cablenetwork, satellite network, cellular telephone network or combinationthereof. Protocols and components for communicating via the Internet orany of the other aforementioned types of communication networks are wellknown to those skilled in the art of computer communications and thus,need not be described in more detail herein.

It will be recognized that many of the components described herein areoptional and that embodiments of the operating environment 100 may ormay not combine components. Additionally, the components need not bedistinct or discrete. Components may be reorganized in the operatingenvironment 100. The operating environment 100 may be represented in asingle physical server containing all of the subsystems described belowor, alternatively, may be split into multiple physical servers. Forexample, in certain embodiments, the network travel package service 102may be implemented as a network-based service offering a variety oftravel services and search capabilities (e.g., a travel website). Inalternative embodiments, the network travel package service 102 mayinclude a stand-alone service.

The network travel package service 102 may be embodied in a plurality ofcomputing components, each executing an instance of the network travelpackage service 102. A server or other computing component implementingthe network travel package service 102 may include a network interface,memory, processing unit and computer-readable medium drive, all of whichmay communicate with each other by way of a communication bus. Thenetwork interface may provide connectivity over the network 110 and/orother networks or computer systems. The processing unit may communicateto and from memory containing program instructions that the processingunit executes in order to operate the network travel package service102. The memory generally includes RAM, ROM and/or other persistent andauxiliary memory.

In certain embodiments described herein, the network travel packageservice 102 may be employed to search for and purchase travel items. Forexample, the network travel package service 102 may provide userinterfaces that enable the submission of search queries for travel itemsand the selection of returned travel items for purchase. The searchqueries may include search parameters including, but not limited to, thetype of travel item of interest, dates and times of interest for travel,specific travel providers (e.g., specific lodging, airlines, rental carcompanies, etc.), class of travel (e.g., first class, five star, etc.),location (arrival/departure location, location near, etc.) and the like.In certain embodiments described herein, the search query is illustratedas communicated from a traveler (or his or her representative) employinghis or her user computing device 106. It may be understood, however,that the search query may originate from any number of sources, such asthird party travel servers, applications or carriers.

In further embodiments, described in greater detail below, the networktravel package service 102 may restrict of the ability of travelers tosubmit search queries for additional travel items for incorporation intoa travel package with previously purchased travel items. It may bedesirable to restrict searching for additional travel items only totravelers who have made an initial travel purchase. In this manner,travelers who have made an initial travel purchase may receive travelpackage discounts and travelers who have not made an initial travelpurchase may not receive travel package discounts for purchases ofnon-corresponding travel items.

The network travel package service 102 may communicate a received searchquery to one or more network inventory services 104A-104D in order toidentify travel items that satisfy the search query. In certainembodiments, two or more of the network inventory services 104A-104D maybe integrated together in any combination to provide the functionalityof their respective services. In alternative embodiments, one or more ofthe network inventory services may be local to the network travelpackage service 102 or a part of the network travel package service 102.

The network inventory services 104A-104D may be configured to provideinformation regarding travel inventory items in response to queries(e.g., electronic queries). The network inventory services 104A-104D mayinclude up-to-date information regarding fares (prices or costs fortravel items), schedules (dates and times of arrival and departure,check-in and checkout, pickup and drop-off, and the like), fare rules(which fares are valid under a given set of circumstances) andavailability (capacity) for respective travel items maintained therein.For example, a flight service 104A may maintain information regardingtravel items such as airline flights, while a lodging service 104B maymaintain information regarding travel items such as lodging for rent(e.g., hotels, motels, houses, apartments, condominiums, and the like).An auto service 104C may maintain information regarding travel itemsincluding, but not limited to, trains, buses, ferries, shuttle services,and cruises, as well as automobiles. An activity service 104D maymaintain information regarding travel items such as activities andattractions including, but not limited to, concerts, sporting events,amusement parks, meals at a restaurant, equipment rental (e.g., golfequipment rental), and the like. In alternative embodiments, informationregarding fares, schedules, fare rules and availability may bemaintained by a separate service in communication with the networkinventory services 104A-104D.

In certain embodiments, the search query may be relayed from the networktravel package service 102 to the network inventory services 104A-104D.In response to receiving the search query, the network inventoryservices 104A-104D may return availability and pricing information forone or more travel items that satisfy the submitted queryspecifications. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art thata variety of routines for finding fares in response to a received searchquery may be performed. In one embodiment, flights may be searched foraccording to the flight search routine described in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/825,451, “OPTIMIZED SYSTEM AND METHOD FORFINDING BEST FARES,” the entirety of which is hereby incorporated byreference. In further embodiments, other search techniques as understoodin the art may be performed without limit.

The network travel package service 102 may provide travel items returnedby the search to the user computing device 106 for review and selection.In turn, the user computing device 106 may return one or more travelitem selections and payment authorization to the network travel packageservice 102. Upon receiving the travel item selection and paymentauthorization, the network travel package service 102 may authorize thecorresponding network inventory services 104A-104D to purchase theselected travel items. Records of the purchased travel items may bestored in a data store 114 in communication with the network travelpackage service 102 and/or one or more storage devices local to thenetwork travel package service 102. The data store 114 may represent oneor more memory devices in communication with the network 110 and/orlocal to the network travel package service 102. In other embodiments,the data store 114 may be a network-based service.

With further reference to FIG. 1 , illustrative components of thenetwork travel package service 102 for use in generating discountedtravel packages that include multiple, travel items purchased separatelyat different times will now be described. In one embodiment, the networktravel package service 102 may include an analysis component 116 foranalyzing travel purchases to identify initial travel item purchases. Inanother embodiment, the network travel package service 102 may include amessaging component 120 for generating messages including notificationsthat deferred travel package options are available to the traveler forpurchase. In a further embodiment, the network travel package service102 may include a package component 122 for generating and pricingdeferred travel package options.

As described in greater detail below, in certain embodiments, theanalysis component 116 and/or messaging component 120 may be omittedfrom the network travel package service 102. The package component 122may be configured to receive and respond to user requests for additionalpackaged travel items that are not in response to a received message.For example, the package component 122 may be operative to receivetraveler requests to add additional travel items to a selected, initialtravel item purchases from a user interface generated by the networktravel package service 102.

Generally described, the analysis component 116 may analyze travelpurchases in order to identify travel purchases that include initialtravel item purchases. For example, an initial travel item purchase mayinclude purchase of a travel item without any corresponding travelitems, such as a flight for a traveler without the purchase ofcorresponding lodging. In another example, an initial travel itempurchase may include purchase of a travel item with one correspondingtravel item, such as purchase of a flight with corresponding lodging butwithout a corresponding auto rental.

The analysis component 116 may obtain records of selected travelpurchases in order to perform analysis. In one embodiment, the recordsobtained by the analysis component 116 may be analyzed to identifytravel purchases made for a selected traveler (e.g., travel purchases inthe name of the traveler). In another embodiment, travel purchases madefor the selected traveler may be further analyzed to identify whetherthey include initial travel item purchases. In a further embodiment,travel purchases made for the selected traveler may also be analyzed toidentify whether they include or exclude a selected travel item. Forexample, assuming an initial travel item purchase for a selectedtraveler is a flight, the analysis component 116 may analyze thepurchase to determine that the initial travel item purchase excludeslodging corresponding to the flight.

In one embodiment, travel purchase records may be obtained directly fromthe network inventory services 104A-104D at about the time of purchase.In alternative embodiments, travel purchase records may be obtained fromstored travel purchase records maintained in the data store 114 and/orstorage devices local to the network travel package service 102. Shoulda travel purchase be identified as including an initial travel itempurchase, the analysis component 116 may note the travel purchase forfurther processing, discussed in greater detail below.

In certain embodiments, the network travel package service 102 mayenable the purchase of deferred travel packages, including one or moreadditional packaged travel items and the initial travel item purchase,within the same session or over multiple sessions. In one embodiment, asession may be described with respect to network navigation by a networknavigation component (e.g., a web browser) executed by the usercomputing device 106. A session may begin when an instance of thenetwork navigation component is made to navigate to the network travelpackage service 102. A session may end when the instance of the networknavigation component navigates away from the network travel packageservice 102. For example, a shopping session may include employing oneor more functions of the network travel package service 102 withoutnavigating away from the network travel package service 102. Thesefunctions may include, but are not limited to, searching for travelitems, reviewing search results, purchasing selecting travel itemsreturned from the search, and the like. Once the traveler has completedtheir desired operations using the network travel package service 102,such as purchasing a travel item, the traveler may navigate away fromthe network travel package service 102 to end the session.

In another embodiment, a session may be also described with respect tooperation of the network navigation component executed by the usercomputing device 106. In this case, however, a session is described asbeginning when the network navigation device makes a first request to aselected network resource, such as a web page maintained by a server.The session with the network resource may continue until the instance ofthe network navigation component is deactivated (e.g., closed).

In one embodiment, the network travel package service 102 may enablepurchase of the additional travel items within the same session as thesingle travel item purchase using the messaging component 120. Forexample, the messaging component 120 may generate a confirmation messageat about the same time that a travel item is purchased, provided thatthe travel item is identified as being an initial travel item (e.g.,using the analysis component 116). The message may further include anotification that deferred travel package options are available forpurchase. Selecting a link (e.g., a hyperlink) within the notificationmay enable the network travel package service 102 to provide thetraveler with a search user interface that enables the traveler tosearch for additional packaged travel items, review deferred travelpackage options, and purchase additional packaged travel itemsseparately from the initial travel item purchase.

In alternative embodiments, the network travel package service 102 mayprovide the traveler with the search user interface directly. Forexample, in response to identification of the initial travel itempurchase, the network travel package service 102 may provide thetraveler with the search user interface, including one or more initialtravel item purchases. Subsequently, as described in greater detailbelow, the traveler may select an initial travel item purchase, performa search for additional packaged travel items, review deferred travelpackage options including the selected initial travel item purchase andseparately purchase additional travel items within a deferred travelpackage.

In this manner, the traveler, employing their user computing device 106,may purchase additional travel items prior to navigating away from thenetwork travel package service 102 or terminating their networknavigation component. Therefore, the traveler may purchase additionalpackaged travel items while remaining within the same session as thepurchased initial travel item.

In other embodiments, the messaging component 120 may enable thepurchase of the additional packaged travel items over multiple sessions.For example, a selected time after the traveler has navigated away fromthe network travel package service 102, the analysis component 116 mayobtain records regarding an initial travel item purchase. In oneembodiment, these records may be obtained from the respective networkinventory service 104A-104D, the data store 114, and/or records storedlocally by the network travel package service 102 (e.g., from a localfolder containing travel item purchases made within a selected timeperiod). In other embodiments, the records may enable identificationthat the traveler has purchased an initial travel item. In response, themessaging component 120 may generate one or more messages, including anotification that deferred travel package options are available, fortransmission to the user computing device 106. In one example, theelectronic messages may include e-mail messages. In alternativeembodiments, the messages may include short message service (SMS)messages, instant messages (IM), hypertext markup documents (HTML), andother messaging technologies known to those of skill in the art. Thesemessages may be transmitted to the traveler prior to first use of aselected initial travel item purchase by the traveler in order toencourage purchase of additional packaged travel items. As discussedabove, selection of a link, such a hyperlink, within the notification ofdeferred travel package options may enable the network travel packageservice 102 to provide the traveler with a search user interface thatenables the traveler to search for additional packaged travel items,review and purchase deferred travel package options, or purchaseadditional packaged travel items separately from the initial travel itempurchase.

In another embodiment, the network travel package service 102 may enablethe purchase of the additional packaged travel items over multiplesessions in response to a traveler request without a transmittedmessage. For example, after purchase of an initial travel item, atraveler may navigate away from the network travel package service 102and later return to the network travel package service 102 to beginanother session. For example, the traveler may make an initial travelitem purchase using the network travel package service 102 on one day,navigate from the network travel package service 102 to perform othertasks using his or her network navigation device, and then return to thenetwork travel package service 102 on another day.

The network travel package service 102 may authenticate the traveler'sidentity on return to the network travel package service 102. Such anauthentication may enable the network travel package service 102 toidentify the traveler and any of their initial travel item purchases.Subsequently, the traveler may select an initial travel item purchaseand search for additional packaged travel items for inclusion within adeferred travel package. The traveler may select from generated deferredtravel packages in order to purchase additional packaged travel items.

The network travel package service 102 may provide notification thatdeferred travel package options are available in a variety of ways. Inone embodiment, the notification may be provided within a welcome userinterface of the network travel package service 102. In another example,once navigating to the network travel package service 102 andauthenticated, the traveler may request an itinerary for a selectedinitial travel item purchase. In response to the request, a record ofthe initial travel item purchase may be retrieved (e.g., from sourcessuch as a purchase history maintained by the data store 114 and/or astorage device local to the network travel package service 102) Thenotification that deferred travel package options are available may beincluded within the returned itinerary.

In a further example, a notification that deferred travel packageoptions are available may be included in user interfaces of the networktravel package service 102 triggered by selected actions performed bythe identified traveler within the network travel package service 102using his or her network navigation device. For example, a new userinterface (e.g., a pop-up window) that includes the notification may beprovided in response to submission of a search query for travel itemsusing the network based travel package service 102.

Upon selection of link within the notification provided by the networktravel package service 102, the network travel package service 102 mayenable the traveler to submit queries for additional packaged travelitems. The search may be performed as described above with respect tothe initial travel item purchase using the network inventory services104A-104D. For example, an electronic search query may be submitted toone or more of the network inventory services 104A-104D directly or viathe network travel package service 102. The search query and searchresults may be further indicated as intended for inclusion within adeferred travel package.

In certain embodiments, when the traveler attempts to communicate withthe network travel package service 120 to submit a search query foradditional packaged travel items, an authentication process may first beperformed. The authentication process may be employed to identify thetraveler and confirm that the traveler has made one or more initialtravel item purchases. The traveler's identity may be identified bymechanisms including, but not limited to, exchanging authenticationcodes (e.g., passwords), authentication files (e.g., web browsercookies), or other mechanisms known in the art for providingidentification between computing devices. Upon identifying the traveler,the network travel package service 102 may search travel records, suchas records of travel item purchases and/or records of recent travel itempurchases to confirm the traveler's travel item purchases. These recordsmay be maintained by data store 114 and/or travel records stored locallyby the network travel package service 102. Travel package discounts maynot be provided for purchase of any returned search result for travelitems in the event that the traveler's identity and/or the travelersinitial travel item purchase cannot be established.

Search results returned for the additional packaged travel items may becommunicated to the network travel package service 102 for use by thepackage component 122 in generating deferred travel packages. Thepackage component 122 may obtain one or more rules from the data store114 to facilitate generation of the deferred travel packages. Asdiscussed below, in an embodiment, the package component 122 may employthese rules to identify additional packaged travel items returned fromthe search that correspond to the initial travel item purchase and aretherefore eligible to be combined with the initial travel item purchasein a deferred travel package. In another embodiment, the packagecomponent 122 may employ these rules to determine the cost of thegenerated deferred travel packages.

In one aspect, the package component 122 may obtain rules which specifythe correspondence between respective travel items based upon theirlocation of use. Specifically, the respective travel items may berequired to be used within a selected distance of one another. Incertain embodiments, distances may be based upon any of the respectivepoints of origin, departure, pickup and drop-off of the travel items, aswell as location of an activity. For example, assuming that the initialtravel purchase is a flight and the additional packaged travel item is alodging stay, the rules may require that the lodging be located within aselected distance (e.g., a radius) from at least one of the departurelocation or arrival location of the flight. In another example, assumingthat the initial travel purchase is a flight and the additional travelitem is an event, such as a concert, the rules may require that thelocation of the concert is within a selected distance of at least one ofthe departure or arrival airport.

In another aspect, the package component 122 may obtain rules whichspecify the correspondence between respective travel items based upontheir duration of use. Specifically, the respective travel items may berequired to possess dates of use that start and/or finish within aselected time period of each other. Dates of use may be based upon oneor more of departure, arrival, pickup, drop-off, check-in, check-out,and when using the travel items, as well as dates of scheduledactivities. For example, continuing the example above using flights andlodging, lodging corresponding to the purchased flight may include alodging stay for a time period that lies between an arrival date and adeparture date of the purchased flight.

In a further aspect, the package component 122 may obtain rules whichspecify the correspondence between respective travel items based uponthe total number of deferred travel packages sold by the network travelpackage service 102. For example, the network travel package service 102may be allocated a selected number of travel items (e.g., total numberof bookings) which may be included within deferred travel packages.Should the selected number of travel items be sold, no further deferredtravel packages may be generated by the network travel package service102.

In other aspects, the package component 122 may obtain rules whichspecify a selected number of a specific type of travel items (e.g.,lodging) which may be included within deferred travel packages offeredby the network travel package service 102. When the selected number ofthe specific travel items are purchased for inclusion in deferred travelpackages, no additional deferred travel packages may be generated usingthat type of additional travel item. Within these limits, however,deferred travel packages including other types of additional packagedtravel items may still be generated by the network travel packageservice 102, within the restrictions of their respective rules. It maybe understood that these rules are presented for illustrative purposesand may be altered as desired without departing from the disclosedembodiments.

In further alternative embodiments, rules governing the eligibility ofadditional packaged travel items, such as those outlined above, may alsobe relaxed. In this manner, more travel items may be established ascorresponding to an initial travel item purchase, enabling the networktravel package service 102 to provide travel package discounts for manycombinations of travel items which would not be allowed under stricterrules. In one instance, rules regarding dates of use of travel items maybe relaxed such that additional packaged travel items may be used for atime period that lies beyond the dates of use of the initial travel itempurchase. For example, a lodging stay may be allowed to continue beyondthe departure date of a flight. In another instance, rules regardinglocations of use of travel items may be relaxed such that additionalpackaged travel items may be used at a location which is farther indistance from the initial travel item purchase. For example, an autorental may be allowed to take place within a selected distance (e.g.,radius) of an arrival and/or departure airport which is much larger thanthat allowed under an unrelaxed condition.

The package component 122 may further obtain rules that enable pricingof deferred travel packages. In one aspect, the rules may determine abase travel package price from the sum of the prices offered for thecomponent travel items. In a further aspect, a discount may be appliedto the generated travel packages which reduce the price of the deferredtravel package as compared to the base travel package. The discount maybe based upon the difference between a package cost of the additionaltravel item and a stand-alone cost of the additional travel item. Incertain embodiments, the package cost and stand-alone cost for travelitems may be retrieved from the data store 114. In further embodiments,the price of the deferred travel package may be less than or equal tothe cost of the base travel package (e.g., the cost of the itemsincluded in the travel package when purchased as stand-alone items).

Beneficially, even when the deferred travel package cost isapproximately equal to the cost of the base travel package, purchase ofthe deferred travel package may still provide benefits as compared totravel items purchased as stand-alone items over and above cost. Forexample, travel items purchased as a travel package may appear on asingle itinerary. Further, travel items purchased as a travel packagemay be grouped with a single confirmation number for ease of check inand/or check out, changes, cancellations, refunds, and the like.

The amount of the discount may also be varied. In one embodiment, theamount of the discount may be varied based upon time. In one embodiment,the discount may be reduced by an amount depending upon the duration oftime remaining before the initial date of use of the initial travel itempurchase. In another embodiment, the discount may be reduced by aselected amount as the duration of time between purchase of the firsttravel item and the travel package increases. In a further embodiment,the discount may be reduced by a selected amount as the duration of timefrom the date of offer of the travel package increases. For example,should the traveler purchase an additional packaged travel item within aselected period of time from purchase of the initial travel item (e.g.,within about 24 hours), the full amount of the discount may be appliedto the price of the travel package. Alternatively, the discount may bereduced by a total of about 50% should about 7 days elapse from purchaseof the initial travel item. In another example, the discount may bereduced by a total of about 75% should about 14 days elapse frompurchase of the initial travel item. The amount of the reduction in thediscount may be continued until, at selected period of time prior to theuse of the initial travel item (e.g., departure of a flight, first nightstay in a lodging, first day of an auto rental, etc.), the amount of thediscount may be reduced to approximately zero.

In embodiments discussed above, the network travel package service 102may provide the travel package for purchase prior to first use of thefirst travel item. In alternative embodiments, the network travelpackage service 102 may also provide deferred travel package options fortraveler consideration while the initial travel item purchase is beingused. Deferred travel package options may be extended after first use ofthe initial travel item and before the last use of the initial travelitem purchase. For example, assuming that the initial travel itempurchase is a flight, a deferred travel package option may be made foran auto rental after the traveler has departed on their flight. The timeperiod over which a discounted auto rental may be purchased may beselected between the date and time that the traveler's flight departsand returns.

The deferred travel packages generated by the network travel packageservice 102 may be further provided to the user computing device 106 toallow the traveler to review and select a generated deferred travelpackage for purchase. To facilitate the traveler's review, the travelpackage component 122 may format the generated deferred travel packageto display, not only the information regarding the traveler's initialtravel item purchase and prospective purchase of additional packagedtravel items, but also display of the price of the deferred travelpackage as compared to purchasing the component travel items asstand-alone items and the savings which may be obtained by purchasingthe deferred travel package.

FIGS. 2A-2B are block diagrams of the operating environment of FIG. 1 ,illustrating the purchase of an initial travel item, such as a flight,by a traveler employing his or her user computing device 106 incommunication with the network travel package service 102. Furtherillustrated is the return of a deferred travel package offer by thenetwork travel package service 102 to the user computing device 106 thatenables the traveler to separately purchase one or more additionalpackaged travel items, such as lodging, during the same session as theinitial travel item purchase. Those of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that, while flights and lodging are used below to illustrateembodiments of the present disclosure, other combinations of travelitems may be employed without limit. While initial travel packagepurchases are described below in as being made through the networktravel package service 102, it may be understood that embodiments of thenetwork travel package service 102 may be employed with the initialtravel item purchases made through services other than the networktravel package service 102. Such services may include networked (e.g.,online) services that enable purchase of travel items or offlineservices that enable purchases of travel items (e.g., purchases inperson, by phone, and/or by mail).

As illustrated in FIG. 2A, a traveler may employ his or her usercomputing device 106 to communicate with the network travel packageservice 102 to submit a search query for flights (e.g., a flight query).Communication between the user computing device 106 and the networktravel package service 102 begins a session. The flight query may detailone or more flight attributes desired by the traveler, including, butnot limited to, departure and arrival airports, date and time ofdeparture, class of service, airline, seat assignments and the like. Theflight query may be communicated to the flight service 104A from thenetwork travel package service 102.

The flight service 104A may generate a response to the flight query uponreceipt. The flight service 104A may search one or more fare, schedule,rule and availability records for flights that satisfy the flight query.Flights that satisfy the flight query may be returned by the flightservice 104A to the network travel package service 102. The networktravel package service 102 may further format these flight query searchresults (e.g., into a user interface displayable by the user computingdevice 106) and return them to the user computing device 106 forsubsequent display. The formatted flight query search results may befurther configured so as to allow the traveler to perform actions suchas selecting a flight for purchase, modifying the prior submitted flightquery, submitting a new flight query, submitting a query for a newtravel item, and other search operations known in the art.

As further illustrated in FIG. 2B, the traveler may select a flight fromthe returned search results for purchase. The selected flight may besubmitted from the user computing device 106 to the flight service 104A,via the network travel package service 102. Upon receipt of the selectedflight, the flight service 104A may perform operations necessary topurchase the flight and transmit a record of the purchase to the networktravel package service 102. The network travel package service 102 maystore the travel purchase record in the data store 114 and/or a storagedevice local to the network travel package service 102. The storedrecord may be concurrently reviewed and/or subsequently retrieved, asnecessary, by the network travel package service 102.

For example, in certain embodiments, the network travel package service102 may analyze the travel purchase record to determine if the travelpurchase contains an initial travel item purchase. Should the travelpurchase include an initial travel item purchase, the network travelpackage service 102 may generate a notification that deferred travelpackage options are available for the traveler's consideration. In oneembodiment, the notification may be included in a user interfacegenerated by the network travel package service 102. In one embodiment,the user interface may be a message that confirms that the flight hasbeen purchased. Selection of a link contained within the notificationmay further enable the network travel package service to provide thetraveler with a search user interface for performing search and purchaseof additional packaged travel items. In another embodiment, thegenerated user interface may be the search user interface itself,including the notification. The generated user interface may beformatted for viewing by the network travel package service 102 andtransmitted to user computing device 106 for display.

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a user interface 300 that isdisplayed on the user computing device 106 for confirmation of thepurchase of the flight. The user interface 300 may include apersonalized greeting 302 thanking the traveler for their purchase. Theuser interface 300 may further include a confirmation 304 of theirpurchase. The confirmation 304 may include the details of the travelitem purchased. For example, in the case of the flight illustrated inFIG. 3 , the details may include the dates and times of arrival anddeparture, the airline and flight number, the respective arrival anddeparture airports, and the price of the flight. Further information mayinclude fare class, seat assignment, gate assignment, boarding time andthe like.

The user interface 300 may additionally include a deferred travelpackage option notification 306. For example, the notification 306 mayindicate that savings may be obtained when purchasing a travel packagethat includes additionally purchased lodging and the purchased flight.The user interface 300 provided by the network travel package service102 may further include a link 310, such as a hypertext link, thatenables network travel package service to provide the traveler with thesearch user interface to perform a search for additional packaged travelitems, such as lodging.

FIG. 4A illustrates an alternative embodiment of a search user interface400 displayed on the user computing device 106 which enables a travelerto purchase additional packaged travel items. As discussed above, thesearch user interface 400 may be provided to the user computing device106 in response to selection of the link 310 in the user interface 300or may be provided to the user computing device 106 directly in responseto the initial travel item purchase. The user interface 400 includes atravel summary window 402 that is personalized to the traveler. Incertain embodiments, the travel summary window 402 may include a userinterface control 404 that enables the traveler to access his or herpurchased travel items. In other embodiments, the travel summary window402 may include a user interface control 406 that enables the travelerto access travel items which have been saved in a cart for futurepurchase. In additional embodiments, the travel summary window 402 mayinclude a user interface control 410 that enables the traveler to additems to an existing trip. In further embodiments, the travel summarywindow 402 may include a notification 412 indicating that savings areavailable when purchasing lodging in conjunction with an alreadypurchased flight.

The user interface 400 may further include a search window 414 forperforming searches for one or more travel items. The search window 414may include a selection window 416 including user interface controls 420that enable the traveler to identify the type of additional travel item(e.g., flights, lodging, autos, activities, and the like) for which asearch should be performed. For example, selection of a search forlodging using the user interface control 416 may cause display of one ormore fields 422-432 for entry of parameters detailing a lodging searchquery. Examples of such fields may include, but are not limited to,check-in and check-out dates 422A-422B, a location to search near 424(e.g., a city, airport, landmark, etc.), number of rooms 426, number ofadults and children, 430A-430B, and additional options 432, such aslodging name 432A and class 432B.

In certain embodiments, one or more of the fields 422A-422B, 424,430A-430B, 432, 432A-432B may be automatically filled in based upon theinitial travel item purchase. For example, assuming the initial travelitem purchase is a flight, the check-in and check-out dates 422A-422Bmay be entered using the departure and return dates for the flight. Inanother example, also assuming the initial travel item purchase is aflight, the location to search near 424 may be entered using one of thedeparture or return airports for the flight.

FIG. 4B illustrates one embodiment of the user interface 450 that isdisplayed on the user computing device 106 in response to selection ofthe user interface control 410 for combining additional packaged travelitems to an existing purchase (e.g., an initial travel item purchase).For example, the user interface 450 may include a flight purchase window452 that displays a list of the traveler's pending flights that arepurchased within the current session for inclusion within a deferredtravel package (e.g., initial travel item purchases). The initial travelitem purchases may be identified by review of the traveler's purchasesduring the session. Flights displayed in the flight purchase window 452may be selected and displayed in a flight detail window 454 for review.The user interface 450 may further include the search window 414 forsubmission of search queries to be added to a travel item (e.g.,lodging) selected from the flight purchase window 452. The fields withinthe search window 414 (e.g., 422A-422B, 424, 430A-430B, 432, 432A-432B)may also be automatically filled in based upon the initial travel itempurchase selected in flight purchase window 452, as discussed above. Asdescribed below, deferred travel packages are generated from lodgingreturned in response to search queries entered in user interface 450 andthe flight selected in flight purchase window 452. It may be understoodthat flights and lodging are illustrated as examples of travel itemswhich may be displayed in the user interfaces 400, 450, however, othertravel items may be combined in deferred travel packages without limit.

As discussed above, in one embodiment, the user interfaces 300, 400, 450provided by the network travel package service 102 may be transmitted tothe traveler's user computing device 106 after the flight purchase andprior to navigation away from the network travel package service 102. Asa result, subsequent purchase of additional lodging, withoutintermediate navigation away from the network travel package service102, may be considered as being performed within a single session.

In alternative embodiments, however, the travel package service 102 maybe configured to provide deferred travel packages including additionallodging options such that the flight and the additional lodging optionsare purchased separately during multiple sessions. In the embodimentsdiscussed below, it is assumed that the traveler navigates away from thenetwork travel package service 102 ending the session including theflight purchase. As such, subsequent purchases of travel packagesincluding additional packaged travel items described below take place ina different session than the flight purchase.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, in one embodiment, after a flight hasbeen selected and purchased by the traveler, the network travel packageservice 102 may request records of travel purchases stored by the datastore 114. In one embodiment, the network travel package service 102 mayanalyze the travel purchase records for any travel purchases whichinclude an initial travel item purchase, such as a flight. Upondetection of an initial flight purchase, the network travel packageservice 102 may generate and transmit a message that includes a deferredtravel package offer to the user computing device 106.

Upon receiving the message, the user computing device 106 may displaythe message to enable the traveler to review and respond to the message.In one embodiment, the message may include an electronic mail message.It may be understood that the message may include other forms ofmessaging technologies, including short message service (SMS) messages,instant messages (IM), and hypertext markup documents (HTML).

In certain embodiments, the contents of the message may be similar tothat discussed above with respect to user interface 300, regardingconfirmation of the purchase of a flight, with the exception thatreferences to purchase confirmation may be removed. In this manner, thetraveler may return to the user for submission of a search query foradditional packaged travel items.

FIG. 5B illustrates another block diagram of the operating environmentof FIG. 1 , illustrating the network travel package service providing auser interface including a notification of the deferred travel packageoffers available to the traveler in response to navigation of thetraveler to the network travel package service 102 after the initialflight purchase. The traveler may return to the network travel packageservice 102 in response to a message, as discussed above or may navigateto the network travel package service 102 independently. Upon returnnavigation to the network travel package service 102, the traveler maysubmit information verifying their identity. Such information mayinclude, but is not limited to, a login, authentication files (e.g., webbrowser cookies), and other authentication methods known in the art.After verifying the identity of the traveler, the network travel packageservice 102 may retrieve the traveler's travel item purchases from thedata store 114 and analyze the purchases to identify any initial travelitem purchases. The network-travel package service 102 may generate auser interface including the traveler's initial travel item purchasesand the notification, and return the user interface to the usercomputing device 106. In certain embodiments, the user interface maycomprise user interface 400.

In certain embodiments, instead of, or in addition to, placement withinthe travel summary window 402, the notification may be provided when thetraveler performs a triggering event while navigating within the networktravel package service 102. In one embodiment, the triggering event mayinclude performing a search for travel inventory after purchase of aninitial travel item. When the search is initiated, for example, byselecting a type of travel item to search for in search window 416and/or by entering fields in a search dialog box of search window 416, anew user interface (e.g., a pop-up window) may be generated thatincludes the savings message 412. In another embodiment, the triggeringevent may include reviewing an itinerary of an initial travel itempurchase accessed via the user interface control 404. For example, uponselection of a previously identified initial travel item purchase, thenetwork travel package service 102 may insert a discount travel packageoffer in the itinerary, providing the traveler with an enhanceditinerary. In some embodiments, the itinerary is included in the userinterface 300 instead of a confirmation.

In the embodiments discussed above with respect to FIGS. 2B, 3, 4A, and4B, the deferred travel package option is provided to the traveler bythe network travel package service 102 after the flight purchase butbefore the traveler navigates away from the network travel packageservice 102. Thus, assuming that the traveler does not navigate awayfrom the network travel package service prior to purchase of additionalpackaged travel items, any purchase of additional packaged travel itemswill be made within the same session as the initial flight purchase. Incontrast, in the embodiments discussed above with respect to FIGS.5A-5B, the deferred travel package offer is provided after the travelerhas made a flight purchase and navigated away from the network travelpackage service 102. Thus, any purchase of additional packaged travelitems may be made in a session different than that of the initial flightpurchase.

Upon submission of a search query by the traveler using his or her usercomputing device 106 to identify additional packaged travel items, thesearch query may be directed to the appropriate inventory service104A-104D. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the operating environment ofFIG. 1 illustrating the user computing device submitting a lodgingrequest to the network travel package service 102. The lodging requestmay include the lodging parameters input in user interfaces 400, 450, asdiscussed above, as well as the flight to be included with additionallodging returned from the search results in a deferred travel package.The network travel package service 102 may in turn direct the searchquery directly to the lodging service 104B, which may identify one ormore lodging satisfying the lodging query and return the results to thenetwork travel package service 102.

Upon receiving the search query results, the network travel packageservice 102 may retrieve rules regarding the initial travel itempurchase and one or more corresponding items selected for purchase (e.g.a flight and corresponding lodging) in order to generate one or moredeferred travel packages. The rules, in one embodiment, may be stored inthe data store 114. As discussed above, the rules may identifycombinations of the previously purchased flight and lodging options thatcorrespond to one another and are thus eligible for combination in adeferred travel package. The rules may further identify the pricing oftravel packages including the respective travel items. The generateddeferred travel package may be further stored in the data store forlater retrieval, as discussed in greater detail below, and transmittedto the user computing device 106 for display. The network travel packageservice 102 may format the generated deferred travel packages fordisplay by the user computing device 106 to emphasize the savingsachieved when purchasing the additional lodging in addition to thepreviously purchased flight as a deferred travel package. In furtherembodiments, the rules may additionally comprise policies regardingchanges and/or cancellation to which the generated package may besubject. The change and/or cancellation policies may be displayed to theuser prior to purchase of a travel package.

In alternative embodiments, upon receipt of the search query results,the network travel package service 102 may search a cache of previouslygenerated deferred travel packages maintained by the data store 114. Forexample, in one embodiment, previously generated and cached deferredtravel packages may include those deferred travel packages generated inresponse to received search queries. In alternative embodiments,previously generated and cached deferred travel packages may includedeferred travel packages generated by the network travel package service102 for popular combinations of travel items and locations and dates ofuse. By providing a variety of cached deferred travel packages for priorsearches and anticipated popular deferred travel packages, thelikelihood that a search query may be satisfied by a cached deferredtravel package is significant. Thus, the number of deferred travelpackages that may need to be generated in real-time may be significantlyreduced, decreasing the computing burden placed upon the networkinventory services 104A-104D and the network travel package service 102.

FIG. 7 illustrates one embodiment of a user interface 700 displayed onthe user computing device 106 that enables the traveler to review andselect generated deferred travel packages for purchase. The userinterface 700 may include a flight detail window 702 that includesdetails regarding the purchased flight selected from flight purchasewindow 502 discussed above. The user interface 700 may further include alodging information window 704. The lodging information window 704 mayinclude details regarding the lodging including a picture 706 andbiographic information 710 such as name, bed information, star rating,location and distance from selected location, as well as mappingfunctions, listing of property amenities, and room features.

The user interface 700 may additionally include a deferred travelpackage window 712. The deferred travel package window may provide avariety of pricing information. In one embodiment, the deferred travelpackage window 712 may include the stand-alone price 714, the price ofthe flight and lodging purchased separately as stand-alone items. Inanother embodiment, the deferred travel package window 712 may includethe travel package price 716, the price of the flight and lodgingpurchased separately but as part of the deferred travel package. Infurther embodiments, the deferred travel package window 712 may displaythe savings 720 when purchasing the deferred travel package as comparedto the travel items as stand-alone items. The user interface 700 mayadditionally include a user interface control 722 that enables thetraveler to select a deferred travel package for purchase.

All of the processes described herein may be embodied in, and fullyautomated via, software code modules executed by one or more generalpurpose computers or processors. The code modules may be stored in anytype of computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Someor all the methods may alternatively be embodied in specialized computerhardware. In addition, the components referred to herein may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof.

Conditional language such as, among others, “can,” “could,” “might” or“may,” unless specifically stated otherwise, are otherwise understoodwithin the context as used in general to convey that certain embodimentsinclude, while other embodiments do not include, certain features,elements and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is not generallyintended to imply that features, elements and/or steps are in any wayrequired for one or more embodiments or that one or more embodimentsnecessarily include logic for deciding, with or without user input orprompting, whether these features, elements and/or steps are included orare to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Any process descriptions, elements or blocks in the flow diagramsdescribed herein and/or depicted in the attached figures should beunderstood as potentially representing modules, segments, or portions ofcode which include one or more executable instructions for implementingspecific logical functions or elements in the process. Alternateimplementations are included within the scope of the embodimentsdescribed herein in which elements or functions may be deleted, executedout of order from that shown, or discussed, including substantiallyconcurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionalityinvolved as would be understood by those skilled in the art.

It should be emphasized that many variations and modifications may bemade to the above-described embodiments, the elements of which are to beunderstood as being among other acceptable examples. All suchmodifications and variations are intended to be included herein withinthe scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a data store configured tostore travel items; and a processor in communication with the datastore, wherein the processor executes computer-executable instructionsthat, when executed, configure the processor to perform operationsincluding: during a current computing session with a current computingdevice associated with a traveler, receiving a travel item query;identifying a first travel item that was booked by the traveler during aprior computing session with a prior computing device, wherein thecurrent computing session is separate from the prior computing session;without additional input by the traveler, determining at least one of atemporal criterion related to the first travel item or a positionalcriterion related to the first travel item; automatically modifying thetravel item query to form a modified travel item query, wherein themodified travel item query includes at least one of the temporalcriterion related to the first travel item or the positional criterionrelated to the first travel item; executing the modified travel itemquery to identify potential search results including a first travelpackage from the data store, wherein the first travel package includes(i) the first travel item that was booked by the traveler prior toreceiving the travel item query, and (ii) a second travel item from thedata store, and wherein; when the modified travel item query includesthe temporal criterion, the second travel item of the first travelpackage is usable within a time threshold of the temporal criterion, andwhen the modified travel item query includes the positional criterion,the second travel item of the first travel package is usable within athreshold distance of the positional criterion; and outputting at leastthe first travel package as a search result responsive to the travelitem query.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the temporal criterionspecifies at least one of a duration of use of the first travel item ora date of use of the first travel item.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the positional criterion specifies at least one of a location ofa travel item or a distance between travel items.
 4. The system of claim1, wherein: the potential search results include a second travelpackage, the second travel package includes (i) the first travel itemthat was booked by the traveler during the prior computing session, and(ii) a third travel item from the data store, and the third travel itemsatisfies the modified travel item query; and outputting at least thefirst travel package as the search result responsive to the travel itemquery further includes outputting the second travel package as thesearch result responsive to the travel item query.
 5. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the current computing device and the prior computingdevice are a same computing device.
 6. A computer-implemented method asimplemented by a processor configured with specific computer-executableinstructions, the computer-implemented method comprising: receiving,from a computing device, a travel item query submitted on behalf of atraveler via a search interface presented by the computing device;identifying a first travel item that was booked by the traveler prior toreceiving the travel item query; without additional input by thetraveler, determining at least one of a temporal criterion related tothe first travel item or a positional criterion related to the firsttravel item; automatically modifying the travel item query to form amodified travel item query, wherein the modified travel item queryincludes at least one of the temporal criterion related to the firsttravel item or the positional criterion related to the first travelitem; executing the modified travel item query to identify a firsttravel package, wherein the first travel package includes (i) the firsttravel item booked by the traveler prior to receiving the travel itemquery, and (ii) a second travel item, and wherein: when the modifiedtravel item query includes the temporal criterion, the second travelitem of the first travel package is usable within a time threshold ofthe temporal criterion, and when the modified travel item query includespositional criterion, the second travel item of the first travel packageis usable within a threshold distance of the positional criterion; andoutputting one or more search results responsive to the travel itemquery for presentation by the search interface, the one or more searchresults including the first travel package.
 7. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 6, wherein executing the modified travel item query toidentify the first travel package comprises: executing the modifiedtravel item query to identify a plurality of travel packages, whereinthe plurality of travel packages includes the first travel package, andwherein each travel package of the plurality of travel packages includes(i) the first travel item booked by the traveler prior to receiving thetravel item query, and (ii) another travel item that satisfies themodified travel item query; and identifying, from the plurality oftravel packages, the first travel package.
 8. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 7, wherein the plurality of travel packages includes asecond travel package, and wherein the one or more search resultsresponsive to the travel item query include the second travel package.9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein executing themodified travel item query to identify the first travel package furthercomprises: determining that the second travel item satisfies themodified travel item query; and determining that the second travel itemsatisfying the modified travel item query and the first travel item thatwas obtained by the traveler prior to receiving the travel item querycan be combined into the first travel package.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein executing the modifiedtravel item query to identify the plurality of travel packages furthercomprises: determining that each travel package in the plurality oftravel packages satisfies a rule governing which other travel items canbe combined into a travel package with the first travel item that wasobtained by the traveler prior to receiving the travel item query. 11.The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the positionalcriterion specifies one or more of a location of travel items or adistance between travel items.
 12. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 6, wherein the temporal criterion specifies at least one of aduration of use of the first travel item or a date of use of the firsttravel item.
 13. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein thefirst travel item was obtained by the traveler during a first computingsession, wherein the travel item query is received, and the first travelpackage is output during a second computing session, and wherein thesecond computing session is subsequent to the first computing session.14. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising:generating an electronic invitation to conduct the travel item querybased at least in part on the first travel item obtained by thetraveler, wherein the electronic invitation includes a link to thesearch interface; and transmitting, to the computing device, theelectronic invitation to conduct the travel item query.
 15. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 6 further comprising associating aconfirmation code of the first travel item that was booked by thetraveler with the second travel item of the first travel package.
 16. Anon-transitory, computer-readable storage medium includingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor,cause the processor to perform operations including: receiving a travelitem query that was submitted on behalf of a traveler via a searchinterface; identifying a first travel item that was booked by thetraveler prior to receiving the travel item query; without additionalinput by the traveler, determining at least one of a temporal criterionrelated to the first travel item or a positional criterion related tothe first travel item; automatically modifying the travel item query toform a modified travel item query including at least one of the temporalcriterion related to the first travel item or the positional criterionrelated to the first travel item; executing the modified travel itemquery to identify a first travel package, wherein the first travelpackage includes (i) the first travel item booked by the traveler and(ii) a second travel item, and wherein: when the modified travel itemquery includes the temporal criterion, the second travel item of thefirst travel package is usable within a time threshold of the temporalcriterion, and when the modified travel item query includes positionalcriterion, the second travel item of the first travel package is usablewithin a threshold distance of the positional criterion; outputting thesecond travel item as a search result corresponding to the travel itemquery.
 17. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim16, wherein automatically modifying the travel item query to form themodified travel item query comprises determining the temporal criterionor the positional criterion based at least in part on an attribute ofthe first travel item.
 18. The non-transitory, computer-readable storagemedium of claim 16, wherein the first travel item was booked by thetraveler during a first session, and wherein the travel item query wassubmitted on behalf of the traveler during a second session subsequentto the first session.
 19. The non-transitory, computer-readable storagemedium of claim 16, wherein the first travel package is identified basedat least in part on a set of rules for assembling deferred travelpackages.
 20. The non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium ofclaim 19, wherein the set of rules identifies travel items thatcorrespond to each other and are eligible for combination.
 21. Thenon-transitory, computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, whereinthe operations further include determining that the first travel itembooked by the traveler and the second travel item satisfy the set ofrules.